More on New Star Wars Toys

   Possible minor spoilers follow:

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   The micromachine pod racers, and what I say of a demo of the
pod racer video game is just begging for a miniatures game.  Pod
racers feel like a high tech chairot race.  A one man sled is pulled
by what look like too 757 jet engines with the whole thing hovering
a few meters above the ground.	The race is along a course, the one
I saw on the video game was on Tatoonie (spelling?).  Going through
tight canyons at 400+ miles/hr. looks cool :-)

   Anyway, I think a game of this is doable starting with the Full
Thrust rules. Give each pod racer a thrust of 10 or 12 and use the
movement rules from the 2nd edition book.  Even though each racer has
a high thrust, I'd limit any turns to 3 point change per turn.	I'd
also limit the amount of de-acceleration to say a quarter or a fifth
of the total thrust.

   Since the racers take place on a planet, I'd introduce air resistence
also.  If no thrust is applied in a turn then the racer would slow down
some amount, and the faster it is going the less thrust is available for
acceleration.  I'm thinking that air resistence reduces speed by 1/10 of
the current speed rounded up.  So a racer going 35 would slow down by 4
if no thrust used, slow down by 1 of 3 points of thrust used, or speed
up by 6 of 10 points of thrust used.

   Add in damage points, and collisions, and there are the basics of the
game.  I bought four of the pod racers and I feel like laying out a
course
and trying it.	Don't know when I'll find time though.	Other
interesting
elements can be added once I've see the movie.

Enjoy,
Tom Granvold				<thomas.granvold@eng.sun.com>